We have determined that Alex is a cackling old woman. In the past few days, her continual voice experimentation has led her to a guttural “hghaaaaaaaa” sound like an old woman haggling in a marketplace. While extremely amusing, it’s certainly not ladylike. But this is also coming from a girl who farts more than any creation I could have ever imagined, so who expects delicacy?
Alex is currently chilling out on her play mats with a circular rattle around her upper arm as a bracelet, one pink sock mostly, but not quite, kicked off, and a cloth diaper draped across her body as a toy. This girl definitely doesn’t need expensive toys to amuse herself. It constantly amazes us how incredible she is, how we never get tired of spending time with her, how excited we get about each new thing. Proud parents, right? She wakes up in the morning before I do and usually has time alone with her dad then, happily content in her bed or hanging out with him until I get her and we have breakfast. And at night, whether she is already almost asleep, fell asleep eating, or is wide awake, she can go to her bed and put herself to sleep without problem. I am actually at the stage now when I don’t go to sleep wondering if tonight is going to be the night where she starts waking up in the middle of the night again, and she almost never cries when we put her to bed. It’s a nice place to be.
She also LOVES her rice cereal. It’s ultra-cute when she grabs my hand that’s holding her spoon and brings it to her mouth to attack the food. FOOOOODDDD!!! YEAHHHHH!!! EXCITEMENT!!!!! However, during the past few feedings, she has started something new; she wants to suck her thumb WHILE she’s eating. I wonder if it’s partially a thing of missing breastfeeding some, but I have to keep pulling her hand out of her mouth when she’s eating, which makes feedings a little more difficult. But she still loves it and is getting really good at eating and seems to understand the process. Early next week we’re going to give her some carrots. (I tried a bit of mashed up banana but she didn’t seem to like it to much then. I’ll try again later with a riper banana.)
I also look at pictures of her in my arms and realize how big she is getting. At twelve pounds she certainly isn’t huge, but she’s not this little flopping bundle. She has so much more control over herself, wants to stand up all the time, voices her emotions, and is (sorry folks) starting to experience stranger anxiety we think. All of these things are developmentally appropriate, but I found myself thinking today what I’m sure every parent thinks – my child will never be this small again, and how will I ever remember what it felt like to hold such a small little girl in my arms? It’s partially sad, but it’s partially exciting because then I start to think about when she starts crawling and speaking and all of those other things that seem so far away but are actually very close. But then I’ll be shaken out of my reverie by her making her own snack. Yes, that’s right. She has started to make her own snacks, a very convenient situation for her father and me. She’ll begin to spit up a little bit but instead of it leaving, she’ll just swallow it back down. Mmmm…. yummy.
